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The
Yamaha TX81z is an inexpensive, but powerful little one-space rack
synth well suited for use with the EVI/EWI. the TX81z's multi-timbral
capabilities off a quick path into sound layering, and its 8 waveforms
offer a nice palette of sounds fairly quickly, if you're familiar
with FM synthesis.
VOLUME/BREATH
CONTROL
There
are two ways to control volume and/or timbre with the EWV-2000:
through MIDI Volume (controller #7) or Breath Control (controller
#2). both have advantages and shortcomings. The advantage of either
for volume control is that it frees up the External In for use with
another synth, thus avoiding the loss of fidelity when mixing more
than one synth into the EWV-2000. The major shortcoming of both
is the resolution of the TX81z's response to either of these controllers.
You'll find that the sound of a crescendo or decrescendo has a noticeably
"gritty" sound to it.
To
use either controller to it fullest potential, velocity sensitivity
must be disabled for each operator in the voice. To do this, enter
EDIT mode, go to the SENSITIVITY page (answer "yes"),
then go to KVS (Keyboard Velocity Sensitivity) page. Set each operator
to "0". You may have to adjust the individual volumes
of each of the operators -- go to the OUT page to do so.
To
use Volume (controller #7), set the EWV to send Volume on the MIDI
page. The TX81z will respond as if your breath is turning its volume
up and down.
To
use Breath Control (controller #2), go tot the SENSITIVITY page
(answer "yes"), then go to the EBS (Envelope Bias Sensitivity)
page. Set each operator to 7. Remember, in an FM algorithm, the
Carrier (bottom of stack) makes the sound, and any Modulator (any
operator other than the bottom of the stack) alters the timbre of
the sound. Therefore, setting the sensitivity of a Modulator to
7 gives you breath control of timbre.
Be
forewarned that controlling both carriers and modulators with breath
control effectively halves the TX81z's resolution in response to
breath control, resulting in noticeable "stepping" as
you increase volume. One solution is to control only the carriers,
and not the modulators. This way you are controlling only volume.
You
should know that the TX81z has the ability to translate Aftertouch
to Breath Control, so if you are limited to communicating with another
synth with Aftertouch, the TX81z can compensate and use the same
information. You will find this setting in the SINGLE UTILITY section
under MIDI CONTROL.
MONO
MODE
A
big advantage of the 81z is using a single voice in Mono Mode. When
playing legato, the EWV sends a not-off immediately after the next
note-on, creating a seamless line of notes without any gaps. When
set in Mono Mode, the TX81z responds to this information by moving
to the sustain portion of its envelope of the current voice, bypassing
the attack portion unless a gap is received before a note-on. If
you've programmed a brass patch, you can maintain the smoother sustained
sounds by playing legato, and save the attacks for when you actually
attack. The reverse is also possible, with a slow attack at the
beginning of a phrase, but a full sustain during the lyrical legato
body of the phrase.
PERFORMANCE
MODE
When
used in Performance Mode, the 81z can help to fill out the total
sound you're producing with the EWV-2000. You can double or triple
voices in the 81z, detuning them slightly and panning them differently,
creating a stereo chorus effect. You can also layer complimenting
or contrasting sounds to create a composite that would not otherwise
be achievable.
Be
advised about two things: the glide commands from the EWV (portamento)
have no effect in performance mode; if using MIDI volume, the volume
settlings in the performance patch will be overridden by the MIDI
volume command, so any balancing that you've done will be ignored
(this is one reason to opt for Breath Control).
CHORD
FUNCTION
With
some planning, you can combine the chord functions of the EWV-2000
and the TX81z to create chord clusters of up to ten notes (8 from
the 81z and the 2 oscillators from the EWV). The 81z can store one
chord for each note in a chromatic scale for the whole unit (12
in all). Combined with the EWV's chordal abilities, you could get
into some very heavy combinations. It can take a bit of planning,
but the results can be worth the work.
PATCH
MAPPING
When
using the TX81z with the EWV in a performance situation, the 81z's
patch mapping capabilities allow you to pair up any of the EWV's
internal sounds with any of the 81z's single or performance patches.
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I've
had a TX81z for many years. I added a product from Spare Change
Music called "TZQuad" which quadruples the memory space
for patches in the unit. This is a very inexpensive unit that has
deep capabilities for EWI purposes. Breath controller patches are
readily available and are relatively easy to create from internal
patches. -Ed.
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